COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – The proportion of people with the more infectious coronavirus variant first identified in Britain is growing in Denmark, authorities reported Wednesday, citing preliminary data.
In the first week of February, 27% of advanced cases examined for their genetic material carried the B117 variant, up from 20% the previous week, the State Serum Institute (SSI) said in report.
Denmark is a major runner in genome sequencing used to study the genetic material of the coronavirus to confirm changes.
The breeding number for the new variant, which shows how many people will give it the virus, is at 0.99%, SSI said Tuesday, meaning the virus is currently declining slightly.
General infection numbers are falling in Denmark after the government imposed tough lock-in measures in December, with just 470 cases recorded in the last 24 hours, down from thousands of daily infections late last year.
A total of 1,690 people have been infected with the new variant which was first discovered in Britain.
Reciting with Nikolaj Skydsgaard; edited by John Stonestreet and Giles Elgood